uarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*,
Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata,
Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit

_#_Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)

_#_Constitution: 10 March 1972

_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of
Supreme Court

_#_National holiday: National Day (anniversary of King Hassan II's
accession to the throne), 3 March (1961)

_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers
(cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (Majlis
Nawab)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--King HASSAN II (since 3 March 1961);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. Azzedine LARAKI (since
30 September 1986)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Morocco has 15 political parties;
the major ones are
Istiqlal Party, M'Hamed BOUCETTA;
Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Abderrahim BOUABID;
Popular Movement (MP), Secretariat General;
National Assembly of Independents (RNI), Ahmed OSMAN;
National Democratic Party (PND), Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI;
Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS), Ali YATA;
Constitutional Union (UC), Maati BOUABID

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

Chamber of Representatives--last held on 14 September 1984 (were
scheduled for September 1990, but postponed until NA 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(306 total, 206 elected) CU 83, RNI 61, MP 47, Istiqlal 41,
USFP 36, PND 24, other 14

_#_Communists: about 2,000

_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC,
EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IIB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
OAS (observer), NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohamed BELKHAYAT;
Chancery at 1601 21st Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
462-7979; there is a Moroccan Consulate General in New York;

US--Ambassador E. Michael USSERY; Embassy at 2 Avenue de Marrakech,
Rabat (mailing address is P. O. Box 120, Rabat, or APO New York 09284);
telephone [212] (7) 76-22-65; there are US Consulates General in
Casablanca

_#_Flag: red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known
as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is the